Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/587

 564 FAMOUS LIVING AMEEICANS the situation, and with his predecessor. General Davis, re- garding the military side of it, then rolled np his sleeves. The Moro province of Mindanao and the provinces next to it are at the extreme southern limit of the archipelago. As far as bringing the light of civilization into these spots of darkness was concerned, the Spaniards might as well have planted colonies in Iceland. The Americans had to begin practically at the bottom in their Philippine work. The twenty tribes in Mindanao were united by no other bond than hatred of white men. Slavery and polygamy flourished. As to religious sects there were, beside pagans, Mohammedans, Chinese Confucians, and a few Christians in the towns. In- ter-tribal feuds and lawless cavortings of power-bloated datus were a few of the annoyances that went with the Mindanao job. The main problem was to force the tribes to a recogni- tion of the white man *s government. For bringing this about General Wood was endowed not alone with the power behind the throne : he was the throne itself — as every sultan, rajah, maharajah and datu ruler on the island were made to realize before the end of the first month. General Wood resolved upon a personal tour of inspection, and with a detachment of men he plunged into the wilds at Zamboanga and introduced himself to the astonished sav- ages. Some came cringing to his camp expecting favoritism. He knew the byword : * * You can trust a native as far as you can see him ; in the jungle you can probably see him two feet before you ' * — and he treated all alike. He impressed upon their uncouth minds that they must deal openly with the Americans. Some wouldn't learn the lesson. That was un- fortunate for them and troublesome for him, for later he had to shoot them. Months on end he and his men floundered through the jun- gle, paddled canoes over the streams, preached the power of white men to head-hunters, and humbled haughty dignitaries. At Jolo the sultan was off on a spree. The Moros in Jolo were robbing and killing all over the island, and Itajah Mu- dah — the sultan's acting regent — refused to discuss the situation with General Wood, saying he had a boil. General Ml*